First off I just want to say how startlingly short this book feels, likely because I read through 3 chapters in roughly 8 pages. I fully understand why the Kerouac decided to split them up in the way that he did, however I personally have gotten used to the idea that after every chapter there should be a sense of having new and important information. I bring this up because the chapters in this book have me feeling "Well, story stuff kinda just happened. Now it's a new day." and I feel as though nothing uniquely important has happened.
There was one thing evident in the entirety of the most recent reading that I found pretty significant, and it is a product of the whole gang being in the same place. I think this is the first time we get to see Dean from the eyes of more than just Sal, or at least in terms of those who know him relatively well. Now we know that its not just Sal that sees him as this eccentric playboy badass; all Dean's friends know that he has these wondrous adventures of debauchery, and that he steals cars, and dances, and fears nothing. Now that we have this confirmation- now that we know Sal is not just entranced by this figure, I think we need to ask ourselves why Dean is being built up so much. We have had a little glimpse into his past and seen that his life is by no means perfect, but why is he so cool to everyone around him, and why is he so important? Maybe this is due to cynicism and perhaps the fact that I have experienced many stories through many mediums, but I feel very confident in predicting that something is going to happen to Dean, or maybe he will cause something big. I almost just want to say that he will end up in prison, just based on what we know about him. Regardless, I think it will be interesting to see where Kerouac takes him.
I agree and also feel that each chapter just rolls on to the next. They never really have a beginning and they rarely have a conclusion. Unlike Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged who is continually spewing out opinions, Sal just shrugs his shoulders indifferently and moves on.
ReplyDeleteI’d also have to agree that the group being completely together for the first time is very significant and does add to a better understanding of Dean, but I don’t think it’s entirely positive. I believe that Sal seeing all of the others opinions of Dean have lead to the whole façade of “badass” Dean to begin to be chipped away piece by piece. Opposed to Sal’s idea of Dean, Major as observed by Sal “treated Dean with extreme deference”(46), and seemingly interrogated Dean about his recent actions. Chad King with whom Sal stayed with during his first few nights in Denver, is described by Dean as beginning to “withdrawal from our general gang” (37), no longer interested in the exploits of either Dean or Carlo Marx. And the affect that Chad King and Major has on Sal is evident as he is starting his journey to San Fransico and “ponders” the idea that he “hadn’t talked to Dean for more than five minutes” (59) during his entire journey.
I think asking “why is Dean so important” is exactly what we should be asking ourselves, and the best answer that I could come up with is that Dean is most suitably described as the anti-Sal. He, unlike Sal, cares little about the opinions of others, his life is dramatic and he lives his life with little reason, living day by day making his decision based off of what he feels at that moment.
Based on the fact that Dean has once been incarcerated, I say predicting that he will go to jail is a probably quite accurate.